The West must face a ‘deadly quartet’ of global adversaries | Wilnesh News

LONDON — After last week’s NATO summit highlighted the threats and “systemic challenges” posed by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, geopolitical and defense experts say the West must now prepare to deal with these adversaries.

Former Nato secretary-general George Robertson warned on Tuesday that Britain’s armed forces must be capable of fighting a “lethal quartet” of adversaries, as he launched a strategic review of Britain’s defense capabilities.

“We face a deadly situation in which four countries are increasingly cooperating,” he said in comments. sky news report.

He added: “We as a country and the NATO alliance… must be able to confront this particular Quad and other issues that are prevalent around the world.”

Robertson did not explicitly name the Quad members, but the other three countries were identified as Russia, Iran and North Korea – countries that Nato said last week posed a threat and systemic challenge to “Euro-Atlantic security”.

The use of the word “lethal” to allude to China coincides with an increase in rhetoric directed at Russia’s allies at last week’s NATO summit, where Beijing’s status as an adversary is more openly acknowledged than ever.

exist Summit DeclarationChina was described as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine and a “systemic challenge” to Euro-Atlantic security, with the military alliance citing its “sustained malign cyber and hybrid activities” and its efforts to diversify Beijing’s nuclear arsenal. Worry and spatial ability.

Nato leaders meeting in Washington agreed that China’s “coercive” policies and ambitions challenged the defense pact’s “interests, security and values”, positioning Beijing as the alliance’s main rival.

The NATO statement also said China’s “deepening strategic partnership” with Russia was “deeply” concerning, although Russia and its ongoing war in Ukraine clearly remained the alliance’s most pressing concern.

The alliance said Moscow had “undermined” peace and stability in the West and “seriously undermined global security.” Russia’s nuclear capabilities and hybrid actions through proxies, such as malicious cyber activity, provocations at allied borders and disinformation campaigns, are considered special threats.

Russia’s allies North Korea and Iran have also been accused of “fueling Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine” by providing direct military support to Russia, such as munitions and drones, which NATO said “seriously affects Euro-Atlantic security” and Undermining the global non-proliferation regime.

Russia and North Korea deny that arms transfers took place. Iran has previously said it would provide drones to Russia. but claimed it had shipped these before the war began. China has been accused of delivering “dual-use” materials such as weapons parts and equipment to the Russian defense sector for use in domestic weapons production, and has been threatened with sanctions.

China denies supplying weapons to Russia Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reportedly called NATO’s latest remarks “prejudicial, defamatory and provocative.” He also viewed NATO as a “relic of the Cold War.” China’s mission to the EU said the NATO statement was “full of Cold War mentality and bellicose rhetoric”.

Ian Bremer, founder and president of the Eurasia Group, said the recent NATO summit showed that the West and its opponents appear to be positioning themselves in a “new Cold War posture.”

He said in emailed comments on Monday that labeling China a major adversary would increase “pressure on Europeans to decouple from China in areas of strategic importance… and given the presence of Asian allies as strategic partners of NATO, Beijing is increasingly There is a growing sense that broader containment could plunge the world into a new Cold War situation.

How the West responds to these adversaries remains to be seen. Russia, North Korea and Iran are already under severe international sanctions, and these restrictions on trade and key sectors have arguably brought them closer together.

Focus on China Cooperation with so-called “rogue states” is an important step for NATO, but it still does not spell out clearly how Western allies might face hostile axes of power, a security expert has said.